A Critical Examination of the Interpretation of Aga Ali Modarres and His Followers on Mulla Sadra's Theory of "Principality of existence"

Mulla Sadra's view of the principality of existence has been interpreted in various ways. In the prevailing interpretation of the theory of the principality of existence, the quiddity is purely subjective, and since it is not present in external reality, it cannot literally represent external reality. The interpretation of Obudiyyat - which is the explanation of the interpretation of Agha Ali Modarres Zenozi - while at the same time emphasizing the subjectivity of quiddity and recognizing quiddity as an image, introduces quiddity's representation as a true indication. This paper, with a descriptive-analytic approach, examines Mulla Sadra's statements and shows that this interpretation cannot be a proper explanation of Mulla Sadra's view of the principality of existence. Mulla Sadra, influenced by the mystics, depicted the relationship between God and the creatures between existence and quiddity and used the mystic's words to depict the relationship, including image, fantasy and Representing the creatures from God. Contrary to Zenozi and Obudiyyat's understanding, such words have been used in the ontological rather than the epistemological sense; hence, they cannot be interpreted as a purely mental object in Sadra's view.